Warning issued over Aldi, Asda and Sainsbury’s eggs due to salmonella fears

ALDI, Asda, and Sainsbury’s shoppers have been urged to check any eggs purchased from the supermarkets over salmonella fears.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a warning after it discovered a specific batch of British Lion stamped eggs may be contaminated.

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A salmonella warning has been issued over a certain batch of eggs, including this packet here sold at Sainsbury’s [/caption]

Affected eggs were sold in selected stores in England and Wales and have a batch code of 1UK15270, which you can find stamped on the egg shell.

For the full list of affected egg brands, best before dates, and product prices see the box below.

The British Lion stamp is a trademark that’s supposed to mark eggs as being safe to eat raw or runny as they’ve been laid by hens that are vaccinated against salmonella.

Symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. 

To avoid this, the FSA says you should thoroughly cook the affected eggs before eating and the egg yolks and whites of this particular batch should not be eaten runny.

But you don’t just need to be cautious when eating the affected eggs as the shells may be contaminated too.

This means you should wash hands thoroughly after handling the eggs, including after touching the packaging and eggshells – the FSA says this is best practice with all eggs anyway.

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The Food Standards Authority has warned customers with affected eggs, such as this Aldi box above, to cook them thoroughly before eating[/caption]

You should also clean surfaces and kitchen equipment effectively after use, including the fridge.

The FSA adds that all eggs should be stored in the fridge until use and should not be eaten after the best before date.

Anyone who is concerned about symptoms should contact their GP. 

If you’d rather not eat the eggs you need to contact the supermarket where you bought them from. Sainsbury’s has already confirmed it will offer full refunds in store but it’s unclear if Aldi and Asda will do the same.

The Sun has asked the supermarkets and we’ll update this story when we hear back. Technically, this isn’t a product recall so it’s unclear if retailers are obliged to provide refunds. We’ve asked the FSA for clarification.

None of the supermarkets involved have confirmed how many boxes of affected eggs were sold.

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This pack of 12 large eggs from Asda is also impacted depending on the batch code and best before date[/caption]

Only the eggs listed in the box above are affected though, the FSA adds. No other eggs sold by these retailers or eggs sold at other shops are affected.

It continued: “There is no need to change your shopping habits for eggs or your usual cooking habits for eggs not listed above.”

Sainsbury’s added in its statement: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.”

Asda directed us to the FSA for a response. Aldi is yet to comment.

Elsewhere, Aldi has gone one step further and issued a product recall of its chicken Roosters products due to salmonella fears.

Meanwhile, Lidl recently recalled cheddar cheese over fears it contains plastic pieces.

And Asda has recalled kids dressing gowns over fears they could go up in flames if they catch fire.